For Family, Love, and Honor
by Narnian Pirate
Summary: A bit of a twist on the some parts of the original story of "The Emerald Atlas". Kate/Stephen. Some of the main events of the story are a bit changed, but mostly shows more in depth feelings of Kate and Stephen.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hi guys, this is a new category. I read The Emerald Atlas for my school's book club and decided I wanted to bridge off of it. I mean, some events and pairings I didn't care for so I figured, why not make my own version? So this is it. Again, some events are changed a bit, not very much, but a little. Stephen's Kate's age and there may be some romance between them. Anyways, I think I've talked too long. Please leave a review and enjoy! :)

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><p>- <strong>Prologue <strong>-

"Stop it, stop it right now!" Kate yelled, grabbing Emma's hand tightly and rushing forward to the boy in the center of the crowd. He was tall, and his hair was an auburn color. The boy whirled around, a look of fury in his big, brown eyes.

"Your brother is a traitor." He stated firmly, "Traitors hang."

There was a chorus of consensus from the children in the crowd. The boy looked to be the oldest of them all, the leader, if you will.

Kate's heart skipped a beat. He was quite attractive, but she didn't want to admit it. Not now at least, not when he was threatening to hang her brother, Michael.

"He said he's sorry!"

"But he's a **traitor**!" The boy stated louder this time.

Kate glanced at Michael. His face was a ghostly white and he looked rather sick.

"Who are you anyways?" Emma demanded. Kate remembered she was still grasping her sister's hand and Emma yanked it away quickly.

"Stephen McClattery." He stated plainly, turned away, and began tying a noose out of ripped bed sheets.

Recalling the fact that Emma hadn't been paying attention when she had been talking to Stephen on the way to the dam, Kate recognized that her younger sister only saw Stephen as an unforgiving menace and not the scared, but strong young man Kate had met before.

"Stephen…" Kate began, resting her hand on his shoulder, but she faltered when he turned to stare at her.

She gulped; it was like he was staring into her soul. Stephen's eyes had a look not of hatred or malice, but of anguish and despair.

Kate couldn't even begin to understand what he was feeling. Yes, she had been searching for her parents ever since she and her brother and sister were taken away and yes, they'd been shuffled from one horrid orphanage to the next. But Stephen, his story was different. Stephen had been ripped away from his mother and father, ripped away from his home, from everything he'd ever loved. He'd been **tortured** by the Countess. Kate and her siblings had never been tortured. Sure, they'd been harassed from time to time, but not tormented like Stephen.

So when Stephen ignored Kate's pleas to spare her brother for the mistake he'd made it was no doubt why. Stephen knew that because of what Michael had done he would suffer, but it wasn't him he was worried about. It was the rest of the children, all younger than himself, that were much too young to feel such angst.


	2. Chapter 1 Letters

**Author's Note:** Hi to anyone who's reading this. I know this isn't a very popular book so thanks for reading anyone (Cal-Kitty). Anyways, the chapters are short. I like it that way for this type of story. I like them short and to the point. Anyways, please enjoy and leave a review for me. Thanks again. :)

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><p><strong>- - Letters - -<strong>

"Nobody's getting hanged!" Came a yell from behind them.

They all turned together. Kate gasped a sigh of relief. It was Abraham.

Scurrying over to Stephen and Michael, Abraham jerked the noose from Stephen's hands and glared at him. Stephen glared right back.

"Thank you." Michael whispered, his voice sounding quite hoarse and his face a ghostly white.

Abraham nodded solemnly and gave a quick smile, but when he turned back to the crowd of children he began scowling.

"All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Now would you take a seat please?"

The children's eyes grew huge and they all stumbled over one another to find a seat on one of the many beds in the dormitory, or more like, prison.

Kate glanced around nervously. All the children were sitting except for Stephen. He was standing, leaning against the metal bars on the window. His arms were crossed, his eyes blazing.

Kate looked over at Emma who was looking rather fiercely at Michael now.

"I have letters." Was all Abraham had to say for the children's faces to beam with happiness and hope again.

There were some gasps and some hungry looks from the youngsters as Abraham pulled a large stack of envelopes from his coat pocket. He hobbled over to each child, carefully shifting through the envelopes until he found the right one. The little ones who received them handled them carefully, as if they were made of the most precious jewels.

Emma and Kate busied themselves with Michael, Kate holding his hands and crying, Emma threatening him with her life.

No one noticed. No one noticed that the number of letters was dwindling. Dwindling until there was none left, dwindling until there was none left and one left with nothing to receive.

Abraham cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Stephen." He said quietly and patted the boy's shoulder thoughtfully.

Stephen just stood there, blinking back tears and nodding, his arms still folded across his chest.

Stephen had gotten letters before. The letters were from the children's mothers. Stephen used to get letters, back when his mother was still alive.

When he was taken from his village his mother had been sick. The letters he got from her came less and less often until he eventually got a letter from his neighbor explaining that his mother had passed away and of course the children's fathers weren't able to send letters since the Countess had them under close watch.

Stephen had a very hard time coping with his mother's death. He felt it was his fault since he wasn't there to take care of her, though it wasn't his fault at all. Even now, every time Abraham brought the letters he felt horrible inside.

He made himself a promise. He would bring down the Countess and free his father no matter what it took. That's why he was so angry at Michael. He sure hoped these new kids wouldn't louse things up even more for his plan.


End file.
